End of Time
by Bestogoddess
Summary: In a small cafe in a distant town, Homura Akemi encounters a man burdening a similar destiny to her own.


In a small cafe in a distant city, Homura contemplated the life she had lived. Endlessly going back through time, protecting a girl who didn't know her from an unavoidable threat, never being able to quit either.

Of course, this timeline was already a bust. Madoka had made the contract and become a magical girl. She would fight Walpurgis, become a witch, and send her back to her hospital bed.

 _Just like always…_

A bowl of cold ramen sat in front of her, barely touched. Not like she had an appetite for it anyways.

"Why should I go on…" She whispered to herself.

She felt her soul gem darken a little at those words. No, she had to go on. That was a fact, but she wasn't sure if she could.

"Mind if I sit down?"

Homura looked up from her bowl to see a man looking down at her. His hair was black and scruffy, a white lab coat covering his body. He didn't look old, per say, but he looked aged.

"Do as you please. I won't stop you."

The man took her offer and sat down across from her before pulling out his phone. Homura didn't really care, but rather kept thinking about her life.

"So...do you come here often?" The mysterious man asked

Homura let her eyes up, meeting his gaze, though he was still looking through his phone.

"No. This is my first time in this city, actually." She responded before going back to what she was doing.

"Not much of a talker, are you?"

Homura nodded her head. "It's not worth getting involved with people at this point. I'll probably never meet you again, and this pointless world will soon be gone."

"Grim thoughts for someone your age, aren't they?"

She smiled a little, but only a little.

"Looks can be deceiving, you know. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

The man stopped to think about this for a moment, but rather than answer her question, called one of the cafe maids to their table.

The maid had somewhat pink hair, complete with a matching attire that fit her really well.

"Can I get a bowl of plain ramen, and another one for the young one here, if she doesn't mind." Homura nodded her head. "It's fine."

The girl seemed to debate this in her mind. "But she hasn't even finished her first one, Okarin. Besides, do you even know this girl?"

The man leaned in close to her, putting a little extra money on the table, before whispering something into her ear. The girl laughed under her breath.

"Alright, alright, 'Kyouma'. 2 more bowls coming right up. Nya!"

The girl walked away, disappearing into the kitchen. She reached her hand towards her shield, hoping to get out of here and stop troubling people.

"Don't even think about it." the man coldly demanded.

Homura jumped back in surprise, getting ready to pull her gun.

"I don't know what kind of power you're using, but a middle schooler shouldn't have weapons like you have. I just want to chat with you, Akemi Homura."

For a full minute, she sat in blatant shock. Questions filled her head. Did she have a stalker of her own? No, not possible. She had made extra sure nobody ever knew what she was doing. In the confusion, she asked the one question that came to her mind:

"Who are you?"

The man stood up in front of her, before proudly shouting:

 **I AM HOUOUIN KYOUMA, MEMBER 001 OF FUTURE GADGET LABORATORIES!**

Kyouma sat back down before pulling out his phone and handing it to her. She picked it up, seeing it was open to his e-mail.

Then she saw it.

"Person of interest: Homura Akemi-"

"-Black hair, CAN STOP TIME, is ar-"

"-med. Proceed with caution when-"

"-talking."

Homura could tell that he had noticed the gun into his leg.

"Hey, hey, please let me explain. I can assure you that, in all honesty, I know nothing about you." Kyouma explained, though unconvincingly.

"Then how…" she asked confused

"That isn't any normal e-mail. Read when it was sent."

Confused, Homura did as he asked, before sheathing the gun back into her little personal armory.

"The dates say that these are sent an hour from now, but that's impossible…" She stated before remembering who she was.

"Those are D-mails. They can be sent from the future with a device back at my lab."

"Sent through time? That's incredible. To think something like that exists…"

Kyouma only sighed.

"That device has brought me nothing but problems. You see that girl over there?"

Homura looked over to see one of the maids. Her hair was dark and short, with a childlike innocence. She envied her.

Kyouma came in closer, making sure nobody could hear.

"She'll be dead in less than 6 hours, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Homura felt a hint of remorse for the man. To think she was not alone…

"I've tried everything in my power, yet nothing ever works. I just continue to repeat these 2 days, over and over and over again until I can't do it any longer, and yet I still go on. I'm sure you can't possibly understand the kind of pain I go through."

Hearing the man speak, she pulled a small photo out of her shield, before sliding it to Kyouma. He took a look at it before looking into her eyes.

"How long does she have?" He asked.

"A few days, at most, but it's too late for her. All I'm doing is waiting for my reset."

For a minute, the table was silent.

"I understand-" He didn't even finish.

"No you don't. You get the choice to go back. You don't have to worry about the end of the world being at stake. You don't have to watch her die a tortured death. You don't have to watch everyone else die in front of your eyes, with nothing you can do about it. You-"

"HEY" was all he yelled.

Homura stopped dead in her tracks.

He quieted down, now having her attention.

"Maybe it is hopeless. Maybe it is horrible. Maybe you've been pushed beyond the point of mental stability..."

He paused for another moment.

"...Maybe you want to quit more than anything, but you can't. You have to push through. You have to find the one way out, because there always is one. It may take forever, but if you value her enough to give your existence to, then you have to pull through."

Homura sat dumbfounded, taking all this in.

"It may not even be the prettiest or most perfect way out, but you have to beat the odds."

He looked over at the girl happily serving food to happy people before noticing he was holding back.

Homura smiled at the girl, who smiled in return. A smile of pure innocence and joy.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure you'll find your way out." She said.

The man looked up, showing a broken side to him. "I hope so…'

The silence returned to the table.

"Mayuri…"

Homura looked up questioningly.

"Her name is Mayuri. Just thought you might want to know."

She smiled, whispering the name to herself. "Mayuri…"

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your special girl's name?" he asked. "You don't have to answer if you're not comfortable."

"It's fine." she responded. "Her name is Madoka"

"Madoka…" Kyouma whispered to himself. "Seems like a cute name for such a sweet girl."

"Yeah, she is sweet."

Two hot bowls of ramen were put in front of them, the pink haired waitress serving them with a smile.

"Thank you for coming to May Queen Nyan Nyan. Hope you enjoy your meal. Nya!"

Homura smiled at the ramen bowl.

 _Maybe life isn't so pointless after all._

"So, are you still gonna shoot me, or do you want to chat a little more?" He asked.

She simply smiled and nodded, letting the tears flow.

"I'd love to"

* * *

Thank you all for reading. For now, this remains a one-shot, but I've been considering making a separate continuation story. Please let me know what you think about this story, if you can.

Until next time, Besto out.


End file.
